substrate question...please help

[derangedjester]

howdy all,
i had a question about the substrate for a vivarium...i havent a clue what to do for fertilizer and draining....i was planning on a false bottom then screen...leca balls..then screen...but dunno what else goes on...spagnum and what else goes in the typical mixture for the vivarium soil??

[defaced]

Here's a current thread on substrate: http://dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16612 If you want more info on substrate mixes, try using the search button just below the banner.

You won't need any fertilizer, your frog's poop will do the job fine.

I don't use false bottoms. Im too lazy to go through with it. I just dump a good 3" layer of leca balls, and gravel next to the glass so you can't see the leca balls. On top of the leca/gravel you wanna use some sort of fine mesh screen, or anything finely meshed. This will keep whatever type of substrate you want to use out of the leca for a good while, though I doubt forever.
For substrate you can use Jungle Mix (I use that, this is good if you plan on using terrrestrial plants), sphagnum moss(I didnt like the way it looked), leaf litter (this is perfect especially for the shy frogs), or just live moss. For my next trick(I mean viv) I am planning on using a mix of sphag topped by leaf litter. This I think will probably be good for most epiphytic plants like orchids and broms. I also wanna use live moss. Once the live moss has taken over, no one will know you have bare gravel of leca below it.

As for fert, Frog poop, dead leaves, dead fruitflies. You wont need anything artificial.

[garysumpter]

The 'fine mesh' that goes between the Leca and Substrate - What is it?

Does it have a common name? Available at B&Q?

Cheers

Gary

Originally Posted by garysumpter

The 'fine mesh' that goes between the Leca and Substrate - What is it?

Does it have a common name? Available at B&Q?

Cheers

Gary

Window screen, comes in rolls. Nearly every hardware store has em.

[c'est ma]

Some place I read that air conditioner filters work well, so I've used that in a couple of vivs and so far, so good. They're thin, black and quite pliable, and cheap; available (in season, I suppose) at most Wal-mart type stores...Easy to cut and mold around your viv features...

The fine mesh can be anything you find. I found nylon baggies at the petstore suppose to be used to filter carbon. I splayed the baggies open, sewed them into one large piece, and tucked it into the gravel so it wouldnt move. Worked like a charm in the last year.
other people buy window screen, fine enough to keep the smalles of bugs out. I don't really know what else people use.

[slaytonp]

I use weed cloth you can buy in rolls at any nursery and cut to fit. It's permeable to water, but filters out detritus between drainage layers and doesn't deteriorate.

[garysumpter]

Excellent, thanks!